Alan’s Absolutely Amazing Chilli

“Before I cook it, what’s so amazing about this chili?” I hear you ask. Let me explain. Alan, generally, does not cook and is not a happy camper in the kitchen. He only recently discovered how to turn on the light inside our oven without opening the door. When he HAS to cook, he usually makes chili. For some strange, inexplicable reason, he makes a better basic, no-frills chili than I do.  After 20 years of trying, I have finally found out what he does, and here is the recipe. He sometimes uses a blender to puree the tomatoes, but sometimes he doesn’t, depending on what kind of mood he’s in. Either way, the chili will still turns out just fine.

• 450g  / 1 lb veggie grounds (I like the frozen ones from Loblaws)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 tsp chili powder mix
• 1 tsp hot red pepper (cayenne) or to taste
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp paprika
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp dried parsley
• 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can / 2 cups cooked red kidney beans
• Splash of hot sauce
• 1 tsp salt or to taste

  Serves 4

1. In a large frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onions for about 5 minutes or until soft.
2. Turn up the heat to medium, add the veggie grounds and stir until evenly browned (about 5 – 7 minutes).
3. Add the garlic, chili powder, cayenne, cumin and paprika and fry on low heat for 2 minutes or until fragrant.
4. Add the bay leaves, oregano, basil, parsley, tomatoes, tomato paste, kidney beans and hot sauce. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for at least 30 minutes. Veggie ground cook quickly, but the longer cooking makes the chilli taste better.
5. Serve with cornbread, rice or tortilla chips.